Eugenic Abortion: Attitudes Towards the Diagnosis of Anomalies in the Fetus

Abstract

The eugenic abortion is the voluntary interruption of the pregnancy when it is possible to predict with probability or certainty that the fetus will be born with a fault or disease. The Law of Sexual and Reproductive Health and of Voluntary Interruption of the Pregnancy, it establishes that it will be possible realize an abortion in the cases that there exists risk of serious anomalies in the fetus, foetal incompatible anomalies with the life or an extremely serious and incurable disease in the moment of the diagnosis and like that a Clinical Committee confirms it. In Spain, in 2010 3.361 pregnancies were interrupted voluntarily invoking risk for the fetus, whereas in 2011 they were 3.590 pregnancies. These abortions represent near 3 % of the total of all the interruptions: 2, 8 % for risk of serious anomalies in the fetus, and 0, 3 % for serious life incompatible anomalies or extremely serious or incurable disease.